Skyfall
by Mockingjay Rose
Summary: When he died, the sky turned grey. It never stopped storming and raining. Devastated, Gokudera plays a song on the piano, and as he plays on, he realizes how much his beloved boss has changed him. TYL-verse. 2759. ONESHOT. (Story previously known as 'The Song')


**SKYFALL**

_(Previously known as: The Song)_**  
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><p>Hello, it's Mockingjay Rose here~ I've been working on this for a while. The theme of this story is quite different to what I normally write (action), and I'm new at writing sad fics, so bear with me.<p>

Anyway, enjoy! See you at the end of the chapter!

**SUMMARY: **When he died, the sky turned grey. It never stopped storming and raining. Devastated, Gokudera plays a song on the piano and as he plays on, he realizes how much his beloved boss had changed him. TYL-verse.

**DISCLAIMER: **I do not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn.

This has not been beta'ed. Point out any mistakes if you find them, kay? ^^

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><p><strong>EDIT 3110/12: **The title of the story has been changed from 'The Song' to 'Skyfall'. I had recently listened to Adele's song 'Skyfall', and it has been so inspiring. I also found the name of the song rather fitting. Don't worry, though - this fic is not a song fic at all, nor does it have any relationship with James Bond or Adele.

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><p><strong>SKYFALL<strong>

The temperature dropped dramatically as the Vongola Storm Guardian slowly walked along the seemingly never-ending hallway. He resisted the urge to shiver, as the coolness clung to him. Plastering a mask of indifference onto his face, he continued to advance forward, his arms crossed and his chin held high.

The underground facility was colored mostly in one shade. The air—so cold and so thin—was hard to breathe in. Small beads of sweat formed behind his neck, and the young man hastily wiped them away. The circle of black suited men surrounding him turned, and gave him a brief glance, sensing his nervousness.

But the dozen of bodyguards assigned to protect him only made him feel more suffocated, more confined than ever. How were they protecting him, when their simple presence made him uncomfortable? And the young man can surely protect himself!

_But it was Juudaime's wish. I will only let them follow me because Juudaime assigned them to me._

To his right and left, he could see identical doors, doors which occasionally vibrated, despite being soundproof. Occasionally he would hear terrible wails and broken sentences from the prisoners within.

"-TAKE ME! _TAKE ME!_"

"-REFUSE TO-"

"MY MOTHER'S IN THE AFTERWORLD! LET ME JOIN HER!"

The Storm Guardian's jaw tightened, and his pace increased. The icy sweat spread down his lower back, sticking his formal red dress shirt onto his skin.

"Faster," he snapped to the guards in front.

When they arrived, two men in white coats drew out several long objects, and scanned the young man from head to toe for dangerous objects. He tapped his foot impatiently as the third device was swept across his body. As it reached his upper chest, it suddenly wailed.

The white-coated men gave him a questioning look as he wrapped a fist over a small object hung from a thick chain on his neck. As his skin made contact with the metal, his heart clenched with agony.

_The Vongola Sky ring. _The exact Famiglia Heirloom which had been worn by Juudaime for ten years.

_How ironic, _the Storm Guardian thought darkly, _that Juudaime lost his life in his tenth year of the Boss._

He wanted to laugh, to grasp at the faintest form of humor, despite its cruelty. But he had lost his happiness long ago.

"Please hand it over, Boss," a white-coated man said.

_Boss._ Emotion filled his heart. He wanted to snap at him, to tell him that he did not deserve _that_ title. He was no 'Boss'.

_But it was Juudaime's wish. _

Like outside, the small prison-like room was harshly white. He crossed his arms, and glared at the prisoner.

Byakuran.

"Gokudera-kun," greeted the white haired man casually, "You're looking good today."

Gokudera just stared. He probed deep into the cheerful prisoner's light purple eyes, searching for any traces of sadness, guilt or regret.

"I hear that you've been promoted to, what, Vongola Undecisimo?" Byakuran smiled, his eyes forming crescents as he stuffed handfuls of medicated marshmallows into his mouth.

_Like as if the Tenth never existed._

Gokudera's calculating look hardened into a hateful glare. He bit down his anger and hurt, as his nemesis spoke in that cheerful manner of his. No, he wasn't going to lose his cool. He wasn't going to give Byakuran the privilege.

Finally, he sat down at the white piano situated at the back of the room. The reason why the prison room had a piano, he had no idea. His fingers hesitantly brushed against the ebony and ivory keys. The glossy keys stared right back, tauntingly, as he suddenly remembered something so small, yet so important.

"_Gokudera-kun, can you play the piano for me? Please?" _

But he never did.

His eyes started to burn with tears. He could hear his voice so clearly in his head. A desperate longing seized his mind. He would give anything –_anything_ –to be able to hear that voice again in real life. He would give anything to hear his soft laughing again.

_Juudaime, I'll play for you now._

Gokudera took a shaky breath and then gracefully glided his fingers across the instrument, playing the first notes of the song he had written for his boss. He imagined the brunet sharing his piano stool, sitting beside him, their shoulders touching.

_I was going to play this song on your 26__th__ birthday, Juudaime. I was thinking of you when I wrote it…_

The song started off soft and sweet, and full of innocence. It was cheerful and bright, but there was also a degree of calmness to it, like it possessed a hidden power. After the first ten bars, the tempo increased, and the song began to crescendo. The music became fierce and unbreakably strong.

***_Flashback_***

_The clock was ticking. _

_He ignored all the bursts of fresh pain in his body and continued to struggle. He had less than a minute. He had less than sixty seconds. But he would end this. He had to. Juudaime needed him to._

_Sweat coated his bloody forehead as he used all his diminishing strength to push off the bastard's body off him. He gasped as the blond bastard extended his spidery fingers towards the chain at his throat. He struggled again, his desperation adding power._

_He gritted his teeth and let out a brief sigh of relief as the bastard was slammed against the cold floor. His eyes shone with triumph. He reached out for his opponent's ring…_

"_Shi…shi…shi…shi…shi…"_

_He yelled as an icy cold hand grabbed his throat and squeezed, the other yanking the chain. He choked as the chain forcibly snapped from his neck. He lashed out in pain and felt his fist connect to Belphegor's jaw._

_The instant the bastard felt the 'whoosh' in his jaw, Gokudera was freed. He hastily kneeled down to catch his breath, his blood pounding in his ears. _

"_Twenty seconds remaining."_

Stupid pink haired woman_, he sneered in his mind. He snatched his ring and chain from the ground, ignoring all his physical pain, before preparing to fight the bastard once more. _

_He would win this. His pride was on the line. Juudaime's honor was on the line._

"_GIVE THE RING TO THE ENEMY, HAYATO!" _

_He barely heard the old pervert's shouts. _

_He. Would. Win._

"_Gokudera! Come back!" the baseball idiot yelled._

_He would not come back empty handed._

"_Octopus head! Don't be stupid!"_

I can do this.

_Tick, tock. Tick, tock. TICK, TOCK. TICKTOCK. -_

_He clenched his fists and flew at the bastard... _

"_STOP JOKING AROUND!"_

That voice_…Gokudera's lip trembled. _

"_Juudaime…"_

"_Have you thought about what we're fighting for?"_

_Gokudera withdrew his shaking fist a millisecond before it connected with the bastard. _

_He had made Juudaime raise his voice. He had made Juudaime upset. _

"Have you thought about what we're fighting for?" _His urgent words echoed in his head. _

For Juudaime. _He was fighting for Juudaime._

_But Juudaime only shook his head in near anger. "NO!" he yelled, with resolve burning in his eyes, "It's so that we can all have snowball fights together again! To watch the fireworks again!"_

"_Juudaime…"_

"_THAT'S why we're fighting! THAT'S why we became strong!"_

"_I…"_

_Juudaime glared right into the cameras. "We became strong so that everyone can laugh again! If you die, then all that no longer has any meaning, does it?"_

"_Juudaime…"_

_He had one second left._

_The half-Vongola Storm ring fell from his hand and landed with a clatter. And then the library exploded._

_He buried his head in his hands, unable to face Juudaime. He was a disgrace. How could a weakling like him have hoped to be his right hand man?_

"_Gokudera-kun…" Gokudera's shoulders sagged even further. He should have let himself die. He wasn't worthy enough to live._

_Two soft hands gently pried his bloody hands from his face. Gokudera hesitantly looked up to those honey brown eyes. They were full of relief, full of warmth._

_Juudaime smiled tearfully. "Gokudera-kun…" he whispered, "I'm so glad…"_

_He was glad._ For what?_ Gokudera had only brought him shame and disgrace._

_And then it hit him. _

_It was because of his life. _

_Blood stained tears fell from the silver haired boy's eyes as he finally realized. Someone cared for him. He wasn't alone. Juudaime viewed him as not only his Storm Guardian, but also as a friend. _

"_Juudaime…I'm so sorry…" _I'm sorry I didn't know you cared… No one has ever cared for me before.

"_Don't worry, Gokudera-kun," Juudaime whispered. The brunet rested Gokudera's blood and tear-soaked head onto his lap and let him weep until he calmed down._

_Juudaime was truly his savior. _

***_End Flashback_***

From that day on, Gokudera began to see the world with a new hope. He enjoyed all the small things in life, like the days he and Juudaime hung out at the games arcade and at the amusement park. He even valued the bickering he exchanged with the baseball idiot and Lawn-Head.

Maybe it wasn't so bad after all.

Gokudera smiled.

***_Flashback_***

_The two boys flew on the swings, their faces radiant with happiness. The wind rushed past them, whipping their hair back and forth. _

_Juudaime laughed merrily, his brown eyes closed as the swings moved forward. "I told you this will be fun!" he cried, the wind carrying his voice into the distance._

_Gokudera felt his lips curl into one of his rarest smiles. It was a smile which came from his heart._

"_Of course, Juudaime."_

_And they stayed like that, swinging in perfect synchronization to each other until it was dark. Then wordlessly, they lay side by side onto the soft grass, holding hands, watching the stars shine in the night sky._

***_End of Flashback_***

It was truly surprising, how such simple things could have him smile like that. Maybe Juudaime's good habits were influencing him. Maybe he had really changed in heart.

Life felt easy.

Days turned into weeks, and weeks turned into months. Then the months turned into years. Everything was normal. Gokudera would arrive at Juudaime's house at a fixed time every morning to walk him to school. Sometimes Juudaime's kind mother would let him have breakfast with them.

Then as they walked past Takesushi, the baseball idiot would accompany them as well. The three would then walk to Namimori Middle School, with Gokudera arguing with the baseball idiot because the latter was addressing his savior in such a casual way.

Most of the time, they would arrive just seconds before the school bell rang, signaling the start of classes. It was always a laugh to see the annoying prefect guarding the school gates, glaring at the three of them. It was like as if he was trying to cast a spell to slow them down, so he could have an excuse to 'bite them to death'.

The idiot teacher was never good at teaching anyway, so Gokudera never blamed his boss for not listening. Che, Juudaime probably knew everything too.

Because he was _Juudaime_.

They'd eat at the rooftop, keeping a distance from the annoying prefect. Lawn-Head would sometimes join as well, if he didn't have his stupid boxing club on. The small but close group would eat and talk happily about unimportant things.

Then when school was over, Gokudera would sometimes help Juudaime with his homework, and when they were done, they would have the rest of the evening to themselves. They played Juudaime's favourite video games, and occasionally Reborn-san had a challenge, which he eagerly took part in each time.

So to repeat, everything was normal. Everything seemed to be part of a routine.

Even after their other battles, including the one in the future. The outcomes of the battles were as expected. Juudaime won every time, defeating their opponents and winning allies at the same time.

But little did he know that it was the calm before sky fell.

Gokudera still blamed himself for not being observant enough. How could he have not noticed Juudaime's tension?

And Gokudera still blamed the stupid cow. Why didn't his future self mention anything so important?

They'd all thought that it was over, that the future was safe. Byakuran was imprisoned, and Juudaime would live until he was old.

But ten years later, the future had changed yet again. The day finally came, when the sky turned grey.

It was the day Byakuran took his revenge.

*_Flashback_*

"_How is he?"_

_Gokudera grabbed a fistful of the old pervert's shirt, and pulled him close to his face. His stormy grey eyes were desperate. "Tell me!" he yelled._

"_I'm afraid he won't make it. We are all praying for a miracle," the pervert replied bluntly. _

_The Vongola Storm Guardian suddenly released him. "No," he hissed, "I'll kill you for saying that." He drew out a handful of dynamite, ready to blast him to death. "Do you know who he is? Do you? DO YOU? Juudaime will never leave us!"_

"_Gokudera."_

_Gokudera narrowed his eyes at the black eyed infant who had suddenly appeared. "Dame-Tsuna wants to see you."_

_He didn't require any further persuasion. Never once looking back at the terrible news bringer, he followed Reborn across multiple hallways leading to one of the best private infirmary rooms. As he neared his boss, he shut his eyes. He could feel his boss's presence, singing out to him…_

"_Juudaime!" he cried, breaking into a sprint. He ignored the looks of protest from the other doctors. No, he wasn't interested in them. There was only one thing he wanted, only one thing he was interested in. His sprint accelerated into a run. _

_And then he saw him._

_The door was already open. He fell to his knees and bowed until his forehead touched the floor. "Juudaime!" he choked out._

_His boss, who now resembled a frail old man, despite being twenty five, took a small breath with his failing lungs. "Go-Gokudera-kun…" His voice was hoarse and it lacked the music he once possessed. Every syllable was strained…as if he was struggling for control over his vocal chords._

_But he was his boss. He was Juudaime, his savior from his past and present. He was Juudaime, the only true friend who Gokudera would forever stay loyal to. He was his Juudaime, his sky, his world, his reason for living. _

_And he could not imagine a life without him._

"_Ju-Juudaime! It was all my fault! Forgive me!" cried Gokudera. _

"_Go…ku…de…ra…kun…" rasped his boss, "No…"_

"_You're right, Juudaime! I don't deserve forgiveness! I've failed you as your right hand man!"_

I've also failed as being the friend you could always rely on.

_Juudaime slowly shook his head. "Not…your…fault." Tears formed watery patterns across his face as his honey brown eyes met Gokudera's stormy grey ones. From inside the room, both Gokudera and his boss could hear the sound of the rain- the soft, mourning melody, the tears of the sky._

"_Juudaime… It was my fault! If only I had-" He was cut off by a strangled noise from Juudaime. Gokudera leapt to his side, gripping his small hand tightly. "A-Are you alright? Juudaime! Please! Don't fall asleep!"_

They said you might never wake again once you close your eyes.

"_I'm…fine…"_

_A small flame lit up on Juudaime's finger. "I believe…in…you, Goku…dera-kun." Then with a shaking hand, he raised it to Gokudera's forehead. _

"_Good luck…Gokudera-kun, my right hand…man…my…best friend…" A smile suddenly found itself on Juudaime's lips. It was a true smile, one which reached his eyes. But also sad…_

_Gokudera felt a cool object being pressed into his hand. _

"_Take it…With my Dying…Will…Flames…you can be…the boss."_

_It was the Vongola Sky Ring. The proof that Juudaime was the boss. But why would he, a failure of a right hand man, deserve such an honor? And the thought of being the replacement hurt too much._

"_Good luck…Vongola Unidecismo. And Gokudera-kun…I have…one…last wish."_

"_Anything."_

_Juudaime smiled again, this time laced with more tears. "Call…me…Tsuna…"_

"_Tsuna." His voice cracked at Juudaime's name. Emotion welled in his chest. "Tsuna," he repeated softly._

"_I'm glad…"_

_And his eyes closed._

_A pair of stormy grey eyes widened._

"_JUUDAIME!" Gokudera screamed in horror, "TSUNA!"_

_He couldn't let go of Juudaime's – no, Tsuna's—hand. For the entire night, he stayed in that position, releasing all his locked inner emotions through his cries, even after Tsuna's heart had beaten for the final time._

_In the end, his prayers and pleas weren't enough._

_But why? WHY?_

***_End Flashback_***

His tears freely bled onto the ebony and ivory keys as he held down the final chords of Tsuna's song. The droplets clumped his long eyelashes together, and obscured his vision.

Poison.

The poisonous drug was all it took.

Gokudera seriously wondered why the hell Byakuran wasn't dead yet. Why did Juudaime insist on keeping him alive? What if he harmed the Vongola again in the future?

He wanted to shove a stick of dynamite down the marshmallow freak's throat, and watch the fuse burn away. Then it would really be the end. Byakuran would never hurt them again.

"You won't hurt us again," he said out aloud, "You won't ever hurt us again."

Gokudera stood up and glared at the white-haired prisoner through his bloodshot eyes.

"I hope you understand that."

And with that, he slammed the piano lid down and abruptly exited the room.

A group of suit clad figures stood outside, waiting. With his watery vision, he thought they were the bodyguards, and snapped at them to leave him alone.

"Hayato."

The silver haired young man rubbed his eyes. It was his sister, along with the baseball idiot, Lawn-Head, Pineapple-Girl, and the stupid cow. Their expressions were sorrowful, and their eyes were red from crying.

He should have known they would come. Even Hibari was there, standing a few meters away from the small crowd.

"We saw," said his sister, "We heard the song."

Gokudera nodded and shrugged indifferently, not wanting to meet their eyes. As their new boss, he had to be strong for them. He would not show them his tears, though everyone knew his pain was the worst.

He flinched as two arms tightly wrapped themselves around his waist, followed by a yearning wail. Messy black hair- hair which once stored the cursed bazooka – tickled against his neck. A warm, wet pool was slowly spreading across his suit.

"Don't cry, stupid cow."

Those words felt foreign. Did he really say that? Did he really offer some form of comfort?

Even stranger, they felt nice coming out.

"S-Stupid-d-dera…"

Gokudera found himself hugging the stupid cow back and ruffling his hair, allowing the black haired boy to cry into his shoulder.

Why did it feel so nostalgic?

Four more pairs of arms wrapped around the two of them, forming a comforting group hug. Gokudera felt his eyes burn again with tears.

A group hug. Memories of the Ring battles filled his mind. It was just like ten years ago, but there was only one person missing now…

He locked eyes with the charcoal black ones of Hibari. An understanding formed between the two with the simple action, before the skylark walked away.

The words whispered into his ears. They were unsaid, but he could feel them.

"_We'll be there for you, Gokudera."_

Gokudera took a deep breath and said the words he had never thought he'd ever say. Tsuna had really changed him.

"Thank you, everyone."

_Thank you so much…_

And outside, the grey sky began to clear up, promising a bright and beautiful future ahead of them.

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><p><strong>AN: **Anyone crying now? Feeling depressed? Feeling overly sorry for Gokudera? Got any advice for me on writing tragic fics?

I hope you review this story! I've heard most people cry when writing sad fics...I didn't...but what did you think of it?

Later,

**-Mockingjay Rose**

**PS: Anyone bothered to count how many "Juudaime"s there are in the story? I'm curious...  
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